Anti-theft retail merchandise pusher with remote alarm feature

ABSTRACT

A retail merchandise pusher with a remote alarm feature is provided. The pusher includes a housing and an adaptor. The adaptor is removably coupled to the housing and slidably coupled to a track. The pusher including a shaft rotatable about its axis in a first and second direction and a gear wheel coupled to the shaft. The rotation of the gear wheel causing a first electrical contact to engage with a second electrical contact, such that the distance that the pusher moves along the track can be measured by totaling the number of times the first electrical contact engages with the second electrical contact.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62,646,115, filed Mar. 21, 2018, the entire teachingsand disclosure of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to a retail merchandise pusher, andmore particularly to a self-facing retail merchandise pusher with aremote alarm feature.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Self-facing retail merchandise displays are generally known in the art.Once such display is the pusher system. A conventional pusher systemincorporates one or more pusher paddles or pusher bodies that ride alonga respective elongated track. A spring is connected between the pusherbody and a leading edge of the track. The spring acts to bias the pusherbody forward along the track towards the leading edge thereof.

A user can retract the pusher body away from the leading edge of thetrack and position items of retail merchandise in a linear row on top ofthe track and between the leading edge of the track and the pusher body.The biasing force provided by the spring and exerted upon the pusherbody serves to bias the linear row of retail merchandise forward toultimately “front face” the merchandise.

That is, when a customer removes the leading most item of merchandisefrom the linear row of merchandise, the pusher body will be drawnforward by the spring to index the row of merchandise forward so thatthe next item of merchandise in the row is positioned proximate theleading edge of the track in an aesthetically pleasing manner Suchautomatic front facing eliminates the necessity for retail storeemployees to manually face the merchandise, and thus ultimately reducesthe cost of labor of the retailer.

The aforementioned pusher systems have been utilized in various retaildisplay environments. One example is a retail shelf. Typically, aplurality of pusher bodies and their corresponding tracks are arrangedin a side by side manner along the shelf. Each pusher body and itscorresponding track are separated by dividers to maintain a plurality ofgenerally straight rows of merchandise that run from the front to theback of the shelf. Such a familiar configuration can be found in manyretail stores for selling hygiene items such as deodorant, as oneexample.

In another configuration, the pusher system may be embodied as astand-alone pusher tray. These trays may include means for mounting thetray as a cantilevered extension from another structure, such as a bar.These trays may also be situated directly on a retail shelf. Further,these trays may include side barriers which are adjustable so as toaccommodate merchandise of differing widths. Examples of these trays maybe readily seen at U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,254,049, 9,241,583, 8,720,702, eachof which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

Further, loss prevention is a continuing problem in the retail industry.Current anti-theft systems involve locking up merchandise behindcounters that are far away from other related merchandise, or locking upthe merchandise in secure cabinets that are closer to where the relatedmerchandise is generally stored.

There are disadvantages to each of these methods. When merchandise isstored in a secured location away from the point of storage of relateditems, sales of the secured merchandise decrease because customers areless likely to go out of their way to locate a sales associate toretrieve the merchandise. Also, sales of related items that wouldotherwise be situated in proximity to the secured merchandise decreaseas well because the customer is not drawn to their location.

Therefore, although common anti-theft systems may be effective atpreventing loss, they often times do so at the cost of reducing sales.For those customers who are not deterred by these systems, they alsohave the effect of occupying more of the sales associate's time thanrequired for other merchandise not similarly protected.

In addition, anti-theft systems that are currently known for retaildisplays are often times plagued by false alarms. For example, manyretail displays with anti-theft systems will trigger their alarms as asales associate is simply refilling the retail display with merchandise.Other retail displays with anti-theft systems will intentionally soundan alarm every time a customer removes a piece of merchandise from theretail display even if the customer is only removing a single piece ofmerchandise and has the full intention to pay for the merchandise.Indeed, many anti-theft systems currently known for retail displays haveso many false alarms that employees eventually begin to assume that allalarms are false alarms, thereby, rendering the anti-theft systemuseless.

Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a retail merchandisepusher incorporating an anti-theft system for retail stores that willdeter theft without discouraging the sale of the merchandise and relateditems. Additionally, the retail merchandise pusher and incorporatedanti-theft system should be able to be retrofitted onto existing retaildisplays to keep the cost of installation and the shelving downtimerequired for installation as low as possible. Additionally, the retailmerchandise pusher and incorporated anti-theft system should includemeasures to limit the number of false alarms sounded by the anti-theftsystem.

The invention relates to improvements in the above described pushersystems, more particularly, the above described pusher trays. These andother advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventivefeatures, will be apparent from the description of the inventionprovided herein.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention provides a retail merchandise pusher. Theretail merchandise pusher including housing and an adaptor. The pusherfurther includes a shaft rotatable in a first direction and a seconddirection about its axis and a gear wheel coupled to the shaft, suchthat the gear wheel is rotatable about the shaft in the seconddirection. The pusher also including a first electrical contact and asecond electrical contact. The movement of the pusher along the trackrotates the gear wheel, such that the gear wheel causes the firstelectrical contact to engage with the second electrical contact and thata distance that the pusher has moved along the track can be measured bythe total engagements between the first electrical contact and thesecond electrical contact.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the retail merchandise pusherfurther comprises an adaptor that is removably coupleable with thehousing.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the adaptor is slidably coupledwith a track of a retail display.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the gear wheel is coupled tothe shaft by a unilateral bearing.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the unilateral bearing has aninner bearing directly coupled to the shaft and the inner bearing isonly rotatable about the axis in the second direction.

In embodiments according to this aspect, engagement between the firstelectrical contact and the second electrical contact closes a circuitformed between the first electrical contact and the second electricalcontact.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the first electrical contactand the second electrical contact are electrically coupled to a circuitboard.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the circuit board iselectrically coupled to an antenna capable of emitting a wireless signalfrom the pusher.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the retail merchandise pusherfurther comprises a biasing member that biases the pusher along thesecond direction of the track.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the retail merchandise pusherfurther comprises a second biasing member electrically coupled to acircuit board. The second biasing member capable of receiving electricalsignals from the circuit board and acts as an antenna for emitting awireless signal to at least one of a central receiver, an alarm box, oran output receiving device.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the gear wheel does not rotatein the second direction about the axis as the pusher moves along thefirst direction of the track.

In another aspect, the invention provides a retail merchandise pushersystem. The retail merchandise pusher system including a track and apusher. The pusher having housing and an adaptor that is slidable alongthe track in a first direction and a second direction. The pushercomprising a first electrical contact and a second electrical contactwhere the movement of the pusher along the track causes the firstelectrical contact to engage with the second electrical contact, suchthat the distance that the pusher has moved along the track can bedetermined by the total number of engagements formed by the firstelectrical contact and the second electrical contact.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the first electrical contactand the second electrical contact are electrically coupled to a circuitboard that is programmed to detect each time that an engagement isformed between the first electrical contact and the second electricalcontact.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the circuit board iselectrically coupled to an antenna that can emit a wireless signal to acentral receiver, an alarm box, or another output receiving device.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the adaptor is removablycoupleable with the pusher.

In embodiments according to this aspect, the adaptor is removablycoupleable with the track.

Other aspects, objectives and advantages of the invention will becomemore apparent from the following detailed description when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of thespecification illustrate several aspects of the present invention and,together with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pusher and a remote alarm systemarranged as components in a theft deterrent system, according to oneembodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the pusher and track illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the housing of the pusher illustrated inFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective rear-side view of the housing illustrated inFIG. 3 with the bottom cover of the housing removed;

FIG. 5 is a perspective rear-side view of the housing showing theopposing side of the housing illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of the operation of the pusher,according to one embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustration of the operation of the remote alarmsystem according to one embodiment of the present application; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of the operation of the remote alarmsystem according to one embodiment of the present application.

While the invention will be described in connection with certainpreferred embodiments, there is no intent to limit it to thoseembodiments. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives,modifications and equivalents as included within the spirit and scope ofthe invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning to FIG. 1, the pusher and remote alarm system 100 includes aretail merchandise display 101 comprising a retail merchandise pusher102 and an elongated track 103. The pusher 102 is coupled with the firstrail 104 and a second rail 105 of the track 103, such that the pusher102 can be slide in a first direction D1 from a front end 106 to a rearend 107 of the track and a second direction D2 from the rear end 107 tothe front end 106 of the track 103.

The pusher and remote alarm system 100 also includes a central receiver108 that can receive wireless signals 109 emitted from the pusher 102.The wireless receiver 108 can then send a wireless signal 110 to analarm box 111.

In an alternative embodiment, the wireless receiver 108 and/or the alarmbox 111 may have terminals for connecting the wireless receiver 108and/or the alarm box 111 to an output receiving device, such as acomputer, a pager, a cellular telephone, a public address system,computer memory, a video camera, and a video monitor.

In another embodiment, the pusher and remote alarm system 100, may omitthe wireless receiver 108 and the pusher 102 can be configured to sendits wireless signal 109 directly to the alarm box 111 and/or an outputreceiving device.

In still yet another embodiment, the central receiver 108 and the alarmbox 111 may be combined in a single unit, such that the single unit canperform all of the functions of the individual central receiver 108 andthe individual alarm box 111.

The pusher 102, the wireless receiver 108, the arm box 111, and anyoutput receiving device of a system 100 can be configured to emit andreceive a multitude of different wireless signals over a multitude ofdifferent frequencies.

For example, in one embodiment, the pusher 102 may be configured to emita first wireless signal 109 along a first frequency that only thewireless receivers 108 of the system 100 are configured to receive andto emit a second wireless signal 109 over a second frequency that onlythe alarm boxes 111 of the system 100 are configured to receive and viceversa.

The pusher 102 of the system 100 may also be configured to emit a thirdwireless signal 109 along a third frequency that only half of thewireless receivers 108 of the system 100 are configured to receive andto emit a fourth wireless signal 109 over a fourth frequency that theother half of the wireless receivers 108 are configured to receive andvice versa.

The pusher 102 may also be configured to emit a fifth wireless signal109 that when received by an alarm box 111 of the system 100 causes thealarm box 111 to emit a first tone and to emit a sixth wireless signal109 that when received by the alarm box 111 causes the alarm box 111 toemit a second tone that is different from the first tone.

As will also be understood, the pusher and remote alarm system 100 mayinclude any number of pushers 102, wireless receivers 108, alarm boxes111, and/or out output receiving devices desired by the user.

The pusher and remote alarm system 100 can also be configured such thatany pusher 102, wireless receiver 108, alarm box 111, and/or otheroutput receiving devices in the system 100 can be configured tocommunicate with any other pusher 102, wireless receiver 108, alarm box111, and/or other output receiving device connected to the system 100.

As will be understood, by including the system 100 to be configured toinclude any number and combination of pushers 102, the wirelessreceivers 108, the arm boxes 111, and output receiving devices, andhaving them capable of communicating with each other by being configuredto emit and receive signals over a multitude of different frequenciesprovides a means to customize each specific system 100 according to eachspecific user's needs. As used herein, “wireless signal” means any typeof wireless signals which broadly speaking may be AM signals, FMsignals, microwave signals, combinations thereof, or any other suitabletype of wireless signal, using any known communication protocol, e.g.wifi, Bluetooth, cellular, conventional radio, etc. This same definitionof a wireless signal applies to any signals described explicitly,inherently, or implicitly as being sent wirelessly.

The pusher 102 includes a housing 112 and an adaptor 114. The housing112 has a top cover 116 and a bottom cover 118 that are held togetherwith coupling members 118. The pusher 102 houses a biasing member 113that extends through the bottom cover 118 of the housing 112. Thebiasing member 113 has a coupling aperture 115 that can be coupled toany coupling means 117 provided at the front end 106 of the track 103.

As the pusher 102 is shifted from the front end 106 of the track 103 tothe rear end 107 of the track 103 along the first direction D1 thebiasing member 113 extends, which causes a second biasing member 119coupled to the biasing member 113 to contract. The contraction of thesecond biasing member 119 stores the energy of the extended biasingmember 113, which biases the pusher 102 against any retail merchandisethat has been loaded between the pusher 102 and the front end 106 of thetrack 103.

Then, as a piece of retail merchandise is removed from the track 103 theenergy stored in the second biasing member 119 causes the biasing member113 to contract to fill the void left by the piece of retail merchandiseremoved by the customer. When the biasing member 113 contracts it causesthe pusher 102 to shift in the second direction D2 towards the front end106 of the track 103, which causes any retail merchandise remaining inthe track 103 to also shift or front-face in the second direction D2towards the front end 106 of the track 103.

Turning to FIG. 2, the bottom cover 118 of the housing 112 includes acoupling region 120 that extends from the bottom cover 118 of thehousing 112. The coupling region includes a first rail 122, a secondrail 124, and a recessed portion 126. The adaptor 114 includes acoupling portion 128 that corresponds to the coupling region 120 of thehousing 112 and includes a first flange 130, a second flange 132, and aretractable clip 134.

As will be understood, the adaptor 114 can be removably coupled to thehousing 112 by inserting the biasing member 113 through the opening 136provided in the adaptor 113 and then sliding the first and second flange130, 132 of the adaptor 114 along the first and second rail 122, 124 ofthe housing 112 until the retractable clip 134 of the adaptor 114engages with the recessed portion 126 of the housing 112. This willsecure the adaptor 114 to the housing 112 until enough force is appliedto the adaptor 114 to cause the retraction of the retractable clip 134as the first and second flanges 130, 132 of the adaptor 113 aresimultaneously slide out from the first and second rail 122, 124 of thehousing 112.

The adaptor 114 also includes a track coupling section 138 comprising afirst flange 140 that slidably engages with the first rail 104 of thetrack and a second flange 142 that slidably engages with the second rail105 of a track 103. As will be understood, the slidably engagementbetween the first and second flange 140, 142 of the adaptor 114 and thefirst and second rail 104, 105 of the track 103 slidably engages thepusher 102 to the track 103, such that the pusher 102 can shift in boththe first direction D1 and the second direction D2 along the track 103.

Therefore, employing an adaptor 114 as an intermediary between thehousing 112 and the track 103 provides the advantage of being able touse a single housing 112 in a variety of different retail displays 101that have different track 103 configurations.

In another embodiment, the housing 112 of the pusher 102 will include acoupling means that is integrally formed on the housing 112 of thepusher 102. The coupling means will be slidably coupleable to the track103 of a retail merchandise display 101, such that the housing 112 ofthe pusher 102 is directly coupled to the track 103 of the retailmerchandise display 101. As will be understood, according to thisembodiment, the housing 112 of the pusher 102 will be slidably coupleddirectly to the track 103, such that the pusher 102 can move in thefirst direction D1 and the second direction D2 along the track 103 ofthe retail merchandise display 101 without employing an adaptor 114.

Turning to FIG. 3, illustrating an exploded view of the housing 112. Asillustrated, the top cover 116 and bottom cover 118 of the housing 112provide an internal cavity 144 that houses the internal components 145within the housing 112. The top cover 116 of the housing 112 alsoprovides a first arm 146 (see FIG. 5) and a second arm 148 (see FIG. 4)that rotatably support a shaft 150 within the internal cavity 144 of thehousing 112. As illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first and second arm146, 148 rotatably support the shaft 150, such that the shaft 150 canrotate in both a first direction R1 and a second direction R2 about axisA.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the shaft 150 extends through andsupports a unilateral bearing 152 that has an outer surface 153surrounding an inner bearing 155. The outer surface 152 supports a gearwheel 154 that has a plurality of gear teeth 156. The inner bearing 155is coupled directly to the shaft 150 and is designed to rotate only inthe second direction R2 about axis A.

The shaft 150 is also coupled to a driving wheel 158 having a firstcover 160 and a second cover 162. The biasing member 113 is wound aboutthe driving wheel 158 and the second biasing member 119 housed withinthe driving wheel 158.

The driving wheel 158 also houses the second biasing member 119. Asdiscussed above, as the track 103 is loaded with retail merchandise thepusher 102 is shifted in a first direction D1 along the track 103, whichcauses the biasing member 113 to extend along the track 103. As thebiasing member 113 extends the second biasing member 119 contracts inorder to store the energy released from the extension of the biasingmember 113. This energy of the second biasing member 119 is then used tobias the pusher 102 against the retail merchandise in the track and tocontract the biasing member 102 as retail merchandise is removed fromthe track 103.

In addition to storing the energy of the extended biasing member 113,the second biasing member 119 is also electrically coupled to a thirdelectrical contact 168 is also electrically coupled to the circuit board170. The third electrical contact 168 provides a means for the circuitboard 170 to send electrical signals to the second biasing member 119 sothat the second biasing member 119 can also act as an antenna tobroadcast any signals that are transmitted from the pusher 102, such asthe wireless signals 109 transmitted from the pusher 102 to the otherdevices in the pusher and remote alarm system 100, such as the centralreceiver 108 and/or the alarm box 111 (see FIG. 1).

The circuit board 170 is coupled to and provided power by a battery 172that is secured to the circuit board 170 by a fixed plate 174. Thebattery 172 provides all of the power required by the pusher 102internally, such that an outside power source is not required. However,in an alternative embodiment, it is envisioned that an outside powersource could be used to provide the electrical power required to operatethe pusher 102.

The circuit board 170 is also electrically coupled to a speaker orbuzzer 176 and a light guide 178. As will be discussed later, thecircuit board 170 can be programmed to send electrical signals to thespeaker or buzzer 176 to beep or sound an alarm if certain criteria,such as the movement of the pusher 102 along the track 102, are detectedby the circuit board 170. Likewise, the circuit board 170 can also beprogrammed to illuminate the light guide 178 if certain parameters aredetected by the circuit board 170, such as detecting low power from thebattery 172.

A first electrical contact 180 and a second electrical contact 182 arealso electrically coupled to the circuit board 170. When the firstelectrical contact 180 and the second electrical contact 182 makecontact with one another they form a closed circuit. As will bediscussed in detail below, the number of times that the circuit formedbetween the first and second electrical contact 180, 182 can be used bythe circuit board 170 to determine the distance that the pusher 102 hasshifted in the second direction D2 along the track 103 because of theremoval of a piece or pieces of retail merchandise from the track 103.

Similarly, if the dimensions of the pieces of retail merchandise loadedin the track are known, then distance traveled by the pusher 102 in thesecond direction D2 that is based on the number of times the circuitformed between the first and second electrical contact 180, 182 isclosed and opened can also be used to determine the number of pieces ofretail merchandise that have been removed from the track 103.

Next, the operation of the pusher 102 will be discussed. When the retailmerchandise display 101 is being loaded with retail merchandise thepusher 102 is shifted in a first direction D1 away from the front end106 of the track 103. As the pusher 102 is shifted in the firstdirection D1 the biasing member 113 is extended or unwound from thedriving wheel 158 of the pusher 102 and the second biasing member 119 iscontracted to store the energy lost by the extension or unwinding of thebiasing member 113.

The extension or unwinding of the biasing member 113 rotates the drivingwheel 158 in the second direction R2 about axis A. The rotation of thedriving wheel 158 then rotates the shaft 150, which is coupled to thedriving wheel 158, in the second direction D2 about axis A.

As the shaft 150 is rotated in the second direction R2 about axis A theinner bearing 155 of the unilateral bearing 152 rotates along with theshaft 150 in the second direction R2 about axis A. The rotation of theinner bearing 155 prevents the rotational forces of the shaft 150 frombeing applied to the gear wheel 154 coupled to the stationary exteriorsurface 153 of the unilateral bearing 152.

Therefore, the gear wheel 154 of the pusher 102 remains stationary asthe pusher 102 is shifted towards the rear end 107 of the track 103 inorder to accommodate the loading of retail merchandise from the frontend 106 of the track 103.

Once the retail merchandise has been loaded between the pusher 102 andthe front end 106 of the track 103, the pusher 103 biases the retailmerchandise in a second direction D2 towards the front end 106 of thetrack 103.

As a piece of retail merchandise is removed from the front end 106 ofthe track 103, a void is created at the front end 106 of the track 103.The void causes the biasing member 113 to contract and shift the pusher102 and/or the remaining retail merchandise towards the front end 106 ofthe track 103.

As the biasing member 113 contracted, the driving wheel 158 is rotatedin the first direction R1 about axis A. The rotation of the drivingwheel 158 in the first direction R1 about axis A causes the shaft 150,which is coupled to the driving wheel 158, to also rotate in the firstdirection R1 about axis A.

As the shaft 150 rotates in the first direction R1 about axis A, theinner bearing 155, which is only designed to rotate in the seconddirection R2 about axis A, does not rotate along with the shaft 150.

Therefore, the rotational forces of the shaft 150 are applied to theunilateral bearing 152, which causes the exterior surface 153 of theunilateral bearing 152 to rotate in the first direction R1 about axis A.

As the exterior surface 152 of the unilateral bearing 152 rotates in thefirst direction R1 about axis A the gear wheel 154, which is coupled tothe exterior surface 152 of the unilateral bearing 152, also rotates inthe first direction R1 about axis A.

As the gear wheel 154 is rotated in the first direction R1 about axis Aits gear teeth 156 contact and apply force to the first electricalcontact 180. The force applied to the first electrical contact 180 byeach gear tooth 156 shifts the first electrical contact 180 to makecontact with the second electrical contact 182. This contact formedbetween the first electrical contact 180 and the second electricalcontact 182 closes a circuit formed between the first electrical contact180 and the second electrical contact 182 that can be detected by thecircuit board 170.

As the gear wheel 154 continues its rotation in the first direction R1about axis A, the gear tooth 156 applying the force to the firstelectrical contact 180 eventually disengages with the first electricalcontact 180.

As the gear tooth 156 disengages with the first electrical contact 180the force causing the first electrical contact 180 to make contact withthe second electrical contact 182 is removed and the first electricalcontact 180 returns to its original position where it is not in contactwith the second electrical contact 182.

Thus, the circuit formed between the first electrical contact 180 andthe second electrical contact 182 returns to being an open circuit untilthe gear wheel 154 has been sufficiently rotated in the first directionR1 about axis A, such that the next gear tooth 156 of the gear wheel 154can make contact with the first electrical contact 180 to close thecircuit between the first and second electrical contacts 180, 182.

Thus, the removal of retail merchandise from the front end 106 of thetrack 103 causes the retraction of the biasing member 113 that causesthe rotation of the gear wheel 154 and the gear teeth 156 in the firstdirection R1 about axis A via the rotation of the driving wheel 158 andshaft 150 in the first direction R1 about axis A. The rotation of thegear teeth 156 in the first direction R1 about axis A causes the firstelectrical contact 180 to engage with the second electrical contact 182to close an electrical circuit formed between the first electricalcontact 180 and the second electrical contact 182, which can be measuredby the circuit board 170.

As such, it will be understood that the pusher 102 can detect the amountof retail merchandise being removed from the front end 106 of the track103 during any given time interval by counting the number of times thatthe circuit formed between the first electrical contact 180 and thesecond electrical contact 182 is closed.

In another embodiment, it is envisioned that the motion of the pusher102 along the track 103 can be measured using any mechanical meansgenerally known in the art, such as, but not limited to, a rack andpinion. The pusher 102 could then detect the amount of retailmerchandise being removed from the front end 106 of the track 103 duringany given time interval by counting the distance the pusher 102 hasmoved along the track 103 during that time interval.

In another embodiment, it is envisioned that the motion of the pusher102 along the track 103 could be detected by any optical means generallyknown in the art, such as but not limited to, using a photo or videolens. The pusher 102 could then detect the amount of retail merchandisebeing removed from the front end 106 of the track 103 during any giventime interval by counting the distance the pusher 102 has moved alongthe track 103 during that time interval.

In another embodiment, it is envisioned that the motion of the pusher102 along the track 103 could be detected using any opticalamplification means generally known in the art, such as but not limitedto, a laser using time of flight measurements. The pusher 102 could thendetect the amount of retail merchandise being removed from the front end106 of the track 103 during any given time interval by counting thedistance the pusher 102 has moved along the track 103 during that timeinterval.

In another embodiment, it is envisioned that the motion of the pusher102 along the track 103 may could be detected by any ultrasonic meansgenerally known in the art. The pusher 102 could then detect the amountof retail merchandise being removed from the front end 106 of the track103 during any given time interval by counting the distance the pusher102 has moved along the track 103 during that time interval.

In another embodiment, it is envisioned that the motion of the pusher102 along the track 103 could be detected using any type ofpotentiometer generally known in the art. The pusher 102 could thendetect the amount of retail merchandise being removed from the front end106 of the track 103 during any given time interval by counting thedistance the pusher 102 has moved along the track 103 during that timeinterval.

In another embodiment, it is envisioned that the motion of the pusher102 along the track 103 could be detected using any type ofaccelerometer generally known in the art. The pusher 102 could thendetect the amount of retail merchandise being removed from the front end106 of the track 103 during any given time interval by counting thedistance the pusher 102 has moved along the track 103 during that timeinterval.

In another embodiment, it is envisioned that the motion of the pusher102 along the track 103 may be detected using any type of sonicmeasuring device that is generally known in the art. The pusher 102could then detect the amount of retail merchandise being removed fromthe front end 106 of the track 103 during any given time interval bycounting the distance the pusher 102 has moved along the track 103during that time interval.

Turning to FIG. 5, illustrating a side perspective view of the housing112 opposite the side illustrated in FIG. 4 showing the housing 112 withthe bottom cover 118 removed to expose the internal components 145 ofthe housing 112.

As illustrated, the driving wheel 158 also houses an interior spring 166of the that is electrically coupled to the circuit board 170 by a thirdelectrical contact 168. The circuit board 170 can send electricalsignals to the interior spring 166 via the third electrical contact 168where the interior spring 166 also acts as an antenna for the pusher 102so that the pusher 102 can send out wireless signals 109, such as theamount of retail merchandise that has been removed from its track 103 ina certain time interval, to other devices that are a part of the system,such as, but not limited to, other pushers 102, a central receiver 108and/or an alarm box 111 (see FIG. 1).

Turning to FIG. 6, showing a schematic illustration one embodiment of amethod of using a pusher 200 according to one aspect of the presentapplication. In the first step the pusher 102 is in sleep mode 202. Inthe next step motion of the pusher 102 is detected 204, such as thepusher 102 being biased towards the front end 106 of the track 103 it isinstalled by the removal of a piece of retail merchandise from the track103 (see FIG. 1). After detecting motion, the next step is that thepusher 102 enters wake mode 206. After entering wake mode, the pusher102 then the appropriate action based on the amount of motion detectedby the pusher 102.

For example, if the pusher 102 detects that there has been no motion formore than 10 seconds 208 or that the pusher 102 has moved less than 3clicks 201 the pusher 102 will return to sleep mode 202.

Next, if the pusher 102 detects that the amount of motion is greaterthan the alarm threshold 212 programmed into the pusher 102 the pusherwill sound an alarm for 5 seconds and also send out an alarm code signal214. Once the alarm has sounded and the alarm signal has been sent outin step 215 the alarm sequence has been completed at step 216 and thepusher 102 returns to sleep mode 202.

Finally, if the pusher 102 detects motion that is greater than 3 clicksbut is less than the alarm threshold at step 218 then the pusher 102determines if the accumulate motion is less than 4 clicks in the next 10seconds at step 220. If the accumulate motion is not less than 4 clicksin the next 10 second at step 220 then the pusher 102 sounds the alarmfor 5 seconds and sends out an alarm code signal at step 214. However,if the accumulate motion is less than 4 clicks in the next ten secondsat step 220 thane the pusher 102 will sound a short beep and send out abeen code signal at step 222 before returning to wake mode at step 206where the pusher 102 will determine the proper action depending on theamount of motion detected by the pusher 102.

Turning to FIG. 7, showing a schematic illustration of one method of theoperation of an alarm box 111 in alarm mode 300. The alarm box wakes upevery 30 milliseconds to check if any valid wireless signals are beingsent to the alarm box at step 302. If a valid wireless beep signal isreceived at step 304 then the alarm box will beep once at step 306. Thenif no further wireless signal is received in 10 seconds at step 308 thealarm box returns to step 302 where it wakes every 30 milliseconds tocheck for any further valid wireless signals.

If a valid wireless alarm signal is received at step 310 then the alarmbox sounds for 5 seconds at step 312. The alarm box will stop soundingthe alarm if the reset button is pressed at step 314 and then return tostep 302 where it will wake up every 30 milliseconds and check for anyfurther valid wireless signals.

If the reset button is not pressed at step 314 the alarm box willcontinue to will continue to check for any valid wireless signals atstep 316 until there are no further wireless signals received for morethan 10 seconds at which point the alarm box will then return to step302 where it will wake up every 30 milliseconds and check for anyfurther valid wireless signals.

Turning to FIG. 8, showing a schematic illustration of one method of theoperation of an alarm box 111 in beep mode 400. The alarm box wakes upevery 30 milliseconds to check if any valid wireless signals are beingsent to the alarm box at step 402. If a valid wireless beep signal isreceived at step 404 then the alarm box will beep once at step 406. Thenif no further wireless signal is received in 10 seconds at step 408 thealarm box returns to step 402 where it wakes every 30 milliseconds tocheck for any further valid wireless signals.

If a valid wireless alarm signal is received at step 410 then the alarmbox rapid beeps for 5 seconds at step 412. The alarm box will stop therapid being at step 412 if the reset button is pressed at step 414 andthen return to step 402 where the alarm box will wake up every 30milliseconds and check for any further valid wireless signals.

If the reset button is not pressed at step 414 the alarm box will finishthe 5 seconds of rapid beeps at step 412. Then the alarm box willcontinue to check for any further wireless signals until no wirelesssignals are received in a 10 second interval at step 416 at which pointthe alarm box will then return to step 402 where it will wake up every30 milliseconds and check for any further valid wireless signals.

All references, including publications, patent applications, and patentscited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent asif each reference were individually and specifically indicated to beincorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in thecontext of describing the invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) is to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing”are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, butnot limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of valuesherein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referringindividually to each separate value falling within the range, unlessotherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated intothe specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methodsdescribed herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwiseindicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The useof any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”)provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the inventionand does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unlessotherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construedas indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice ofthe invention.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, includingthe best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention.Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to thoseof ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. Theinventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations asappropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practicedotherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, thisinvention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subjectmatter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicablelaw. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in allpossible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unlessotherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

What is claimed is:
 1. A retail merchandise pusher comprising: ahousing; a shaft rotatable in a first rotational direction and a secondrotational direction about its axis; a gear wheel coupled to the shaftsuch that the gearwheel is rotatable about the shaft in the secondrotational direction; a first electrical contact and a second electricalcontact; the pusher movable along the track in a first and second axialdirection; a biasing member that biases the pusher along the track inthe second axial direction; wherein movement of the pusher along thetrack rotates the gear wheel, such that the gear wheel causes the firstelectrical contact to engage with the second electrical contact; andwherein a distance that the pusher has moved along the track can bemeasured by the total engagements between the first electrical contactand the second electrical contact; and a second biasing memberelectrically coupled to a circuit board; the second biasing membercapable of receiving electrical signals from the circuit board andacting as an antenna for emitting a wireless signal to at least one of acentral receiver, an alarm box, or an output receiving device.
 2. Theretail merchandise pusher of claim 1, further comprising an adaptor thatis removably coupleable with the housing.
 3. The retail merchandisepusher of claim 2, wherein the adaptor is slidably coupled with a trackof a retail display.
 4. The retail merchandise pusher of claim 1,wherein the gearwheel is coupled to the shaft by a unilateral bearing.5. The retail merchandise pusher of claim 4, wherein the unilateralbearing further comprises an inner bearing directly coupled to theshaft; and wherein the inner bearing is only rotatable about the axis inthe second rotational direction.
 6. The retail merchandise pusher ofclaim 1, wherein the engagement of the first electrical contact with thesecond electrical contact closes a circuit formed between the firstelectrical contact and the second electrical contact.
 7. The retailmerchandise pusher of claim 6, wherein the first electrical contact andthe second electrical contact are electrically coupled to a circuitboard.
 8. The retail merchandise pusher of claim 7, wherein the circuithoard is electrically coupled to an antenna capable of emitting awireless signal from the pusher.
 9. The retail merchandise pusher ofclaim 1, wherein the gearwheel does not rotate in the second rotationaldirection about the axis as the pusher moves along the first axialdirection of the track.
 10. A retail merchandise pusher systemcomprising: a track and a pusher; the pusher having a housing and anadaptor; the adaptor slidable along the track in a first axial directionand a axial second direction; a biasing member that biases the pusheralong the track in the second axial direction; a shaft rotatable in afirst rotational direction and a second rotational direction about itsaxis; a gear wheel coupled to the shaft such that the gearwheel isrotatable about the shaft in the second rotational direction, the pushercomprising a first electrical contact and a second electrical contact;and wherein movement of the pusher along the track rotates the gearwheel causing the first electrical contact to engage with the secondelectrical contact, such that the distance that the pusher has movedalong the track can be determined by the total number of engagementsbetween the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact;a second biasing member electrically coupled to a circuit board; thesecond biasing member capable of receiving electrical signals from thecircuit board and acting as an antenna for emitting a wireless signal toat least one of a central receiver, an alarm box, or an output receivingdevice.
 11. The retail merchandise pusher system of claim 10, whereinthe first electrical contact and the second electrical contact areelectrically coupled to the circuit board that is programmed to detecteach time that an engagement is formed between the first electricalcontact and the second electrical contact.
 12. The retail merchandisepusher system of claim 11, wherein the circuit board is electricallycoupled to an antenna that can emit a wireless signal to a centralreceiver, an alarm box, or another output receiving device.
 13. Theretail merchandise pusher system of claim 10, wherein the adaptor isremovably coupleable with the pusher.
 14. The retail merchandise pushersystem of claim 10, wherein the adaptor is removably coupleable with thetrack.